Google Announces The New Nexus 7, Android 4.3 And Chromecast

A few minutes ago, Google presented the new Nexus 7, Android 4.3 as well as an unexpected gadget called Chromecast during its “Breakfast with Sundar Pinchai” event. Android 4.3 will be rolling out starting today for the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The new Nexus 7 will be available in stores on July 30th. You can get Google Chromecast as of today.

Android 4.3, New Google Nexus 7 and Chromecast Infographic

We’ve created an infographic with the most relevant information from Google’s event.

The new Nexus 7 is available for $229 (16GB), $269 (32GB) and $349 (32GB + LTE) on selected retailers and Google Play.

New Google Play Services & Features

As already announced during the Google I/O earlier this year, a new app called Google Play Games will be available on Google Play as of today. It displays your and your friends games on a single screen and the possibility to compare game progress and achievements.

Google also announced Google Play Textbooks, a book store for education specific literature. Books will be available for purchase and rent for a up to 80% discount later this year.

Chromecast

We were quite surprised when Google introduced a new gadget called Chromecast. Chromecast offers the possibilty to connect a small dongle to your TV via HDMI. Doing this, you are able to stream videos, music as well as browser windows to your TV using a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Chromecast does not directly mirror content like AirPlay, but “transforms” your mobile device or laptop into a streaming device and remote. Unlike the Nexus Q, streaming also works with a sleeping device. Several besides Google services like YouTube and Google Music currently work with Chromecast, including Netflix and Pandora. A developer SDK will be released today.

Chromecast will work on Android and iOS devices as well as Windows 7 (or higher), Mac OS 10.6 (or higher) and Chrome OS. The device is available for $35.

Final Words

It will be interesting to see how Google handles its latest product launch. We all remember the disastrous launch of the Nexus 4 in November, so let’s keep the fingers crossed that everything will go smooth now. Selling the new Nexus 7 and Chromecast in selected retailers will hopefully avoid any huge issues.

Images courtesy of Google

Philipp Greitsch is a mobile enthusiast with great interest in the latest trends and developments in mobile, technology and things that make our everyday life awesome.
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